Makeover for Countdown wall

A plan has been set into motion to give the large Thames St wall of Countdown Oamaru a makeover in an effort to bring more people into town.

Waitaki District mayor Gary Kircher announced on his Facebook page on Monday night that he had received approval from Countdown head office to investigate options for turning the large white wall into a mural.

Mr Kircher said he had been contacted by Oamaru resident Margaret Thorn more than a year ago about the idea, however it had only come into fruition in the last month.

There had been comments from people in Oamaru saying the wall needed brightening up and after writing to Countdown for permission, Mr Kircher received a positive response and a willingness to look at possible designs.

“They were quite positive about it,” he said.

The mayor said he had spoken to a couple of local artists with ideas but he was also looking for public input on ways of using the mural to get more people off State Highway One and into Oamaru.

“I’d like it to promote the area and to try and get people off the main highway.”

A mural could also be used as a way to point out different features of Oamaru, as well as potentially becoming another attribute in itself, he said.

“It’s about trying to get some real benefit out of it as well.

“We want to get people off State Highway One and that’s a good starting point.”

The mural would need to stand out to add character but also be fairly simple so people could see it while driving, he said.

“People need to be able to reasonably see what it is about as they are driving past.”

Anyone with ideas can contact Mr Kircher on his Facebook page, Gary Kircher – Mayor for Waitaki, email him on gkircher@waitaki.govt.nz or drop a note into the Council building on Thames St.